[5] The strongest paper in the county up until that time,[5] it was edited and owned by Poland until he sold it to the Cornwell Brothers in 1890.

[6] Sometime around 1830, William Harper started the Hampshire and Hardy Intelligencer, changed shortly to the South Branch Intelligencer[6][7] A six-column four page paper, initially printed on a Franklin Press,[6] it was a Whig party vehicle up until the American Civil War, but became a Democratic paper after it.

[6] After Harper's death in 1887, his wife took over the paper, selling it to a stock company in 1890.

[6] In 1897 the stock and fixtures were sold to the Cornwells and merged with the Review, with John Jacob.

[6] John Jacob Cornwell continued as editor until winning election for governor in 1916.